Death and All His Friends
by dlouc
Summary: The lake of Avalon hadn't been disturbed in over 1,000 years. Its water, black as night, hadn't moved since the day a small, flaming boat had disappeared into its depths. The stillness comes to an end, the waters finally move and Arthur awakes at last. But the world has changed. It is a cruel place torn apart by war and destruction on an unprecedented scale.
1. Chapter 1

The lake of Avalon hadn't been disturbed in over 1,000 years. It's water, black as night, hadn't moved since the day a small, flaming boat had disappeared into its depths. And in the years since, this strange lake had all but been forgotten. Even the young, raven-haired boy that used to spend his days on the banks of this lake, just staring into the stillness, had moved on. Albion turned to ruins, and the ruins crumbled into dust. All the remained was a tower in the center of a late, and the unrecognizable ruins of the once great Camelot. And still the lake didn't move. Centuries flew by, wars erupted across the world, ended, then started again. And still the lake didn't move. The entire world erupted into violent chaos all at once, and still the lake didn't move.

But then it happened again. An eruption of violence that seemed to reach all four corners of the world. Bodies began to pile up, faster and higher than before. Entire cities were blown apart. One such blast reached the forgotten ruins of Camelot, tearing apart the last remains of a great kingdom. And the lake finally moved.

Arthur couldn't see a thing. He was completely engulfed in darkness. He didn't have time to be confused, though, before a wave of pain hit him. He felt as if his entire body was on fire. He screamed, but instead of air, water filled his lungs. His head was pounding, chest on fire. Surely he was going to die. But then his feet found something solid, and with great difficulty, he managed to drag himself away from the darkness, collapsing onto solid ground at last.

Coughing and sputtering, Arthur slowly opened his eyes. The sunlight was blinding, but after a few moments the image of a beach came into view.

_What happened?_

The beach was unfamiliar. For the life of him, Arthur couldn't remember how he'd ended up in that water. He scanned the beach again, then pulled himself to his feet. A sharp pain shot through him when he moved, caused by some wound in his abdomen. And that was when he remembered everything. Images of Camlann came rushing back. Memories of the battle, of Mordred and Morgana, the cursed blades, Merlin…

Merlin. Where was he? Arthur spun around, ignoring the pain (though it had considerably dulled), frantically looking up and down the beach.

"Merlin!" He yelled, not meaning to say anything, though Arthur didn't really care.

Something in the wind shifted, and the ground beneath Arthur's feet turned to liquid. He was falling and drowning all over again, before being dropped onto something solid. The beach was gone, the sunlight disappeared. Arthur found himself in a dimly lit hallway. It was narrow, the walls covered in grime and lined with worn down, wooden doors. Something near the ceiling was flickering slightly, casting dark shadows on the walls. It was a bulb, filled with a dull light that somewhat resembled fire, but not quite. It looked like magic. Arthur looked down the hallway, expecting to see Merlin, but there was no one. He was completely alone. Arthur rose to his feet, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his heart.

The door across the hall crept open, a young woman no more than 17 slipping out. Dark, thick curls concealed most of her face. She silently closed the door and turned around, finally noticing Arthur standing in the hall. The girl nearly screamed, dropping the bag she had been clutching to her thin frame and backing against the wall. She started speaking, something Arthur couldn't understand.

"Stop. I can't understand you." Arthur said quickly.

The girl froze, confusion settling in on her face. "You're English." She whispered. She said each word carefully, though she pronounced it a funny way. Nothing like Arthur had heard before.

"Um. I'm Arthur…"

The girl ran back inside, slamming the door behind her. Arthur stood alone in the hallway, completely stunned. Before he could do anything, the door opened again, and the girl reappeared. She was clutching a torn drawing in her hand, which she unfolded and held up to the light.

"This you?" She asked softly.

Arthur studied to the drawing. It was old and faded, extremely hard to see. But he could still make out the familiar face sketched on the yellowed paper.

"Yes." He answered. "Where did you get that?"

"You're Arthur?" The girl asked.

"Yes. Where did you get the sketch."

"So you aren't dead?"

"Where did you get that sketch?!" Arthur nearly screamed.

The girl shoved him against the wall, one hand around his neck, the other clamped over his mouth.

"Shut up!" She hissed. "Do you want to get shot?!"

Before Arthur could free himself from this girl's grasp, she threw him from the wall and dragged him through the door, dropping him to the floor and slamming the door behind her.

"You need to stop speaking English." The girl whispered. "Don't you speak any other language?"

"I… uh… what?" Arthur stuttered.

The girl sighed. "Fine. Just… be quiet." She stuck out her hand, pulling Arthur to his feet.

Glancing around, Arthur saw he was in a small room. In the center was a small table with several mismatched chair. A bed was shoved in the corner next to a strange looking fireplace. Counters lined half the room, the walls covered in cupboards. The floors were littered with papers, while pinned to the walls were strange, hyper-realistic drawings. One wall was lined with grimey, cracked windows. The space between was chipped and crumbling.

"Listen. There's something I have to do." The girl announced after a moment. "I'll be back soon. Be quiet. Don't speak loudly. And do not leave. Food's in the cupboard. If I'm not back in two hours assume I've been murdered."

Arthur was about to laugh, but the girl's gaze was deathly serious.

"Wait. I don't even know who you are." Arthur pointed out.

"I'm Lydia." The girl muttered. She turned to leave, but stopped. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a knife and handed it to Arthur. She reached back in her bag and pulled out a strange metal contraption.

"This is a gun." Lydia explained. "If anyone with hair like your's comes in here and points one at you, you kill them. Do not hesitate. Understand?"

She didn't wait for Arthur to respond, though, and left the room without another word. Arthur stood alone in the strange room, unable to process what had just happened. He didn't even know where he was.

Clutching the knife in his hand, Arthur ran out of the room before he changed his mind. Back into the dim hallway, down flight after flight of stairs, until he finally crashed through a door and stumbled out onto a road. A chill blew down the narrow street, an eery silence blanketing the night. Through the darkness, Arthur could make out tall, dirty, crumbling buildings lining the cobblestone road. The road was empty, save for a few people who were lying on the ground.

"I told you to stay inside!" Lydia almost yelled, startling Arthur and causing him to nearly trip over his own feet.

"Where am I?" Arthur asked.

"Please. I haven't got time for this! I need to find Peter." She screamed before she realised it. Her face grew pale as she peered down the street as if she expected someone to jump out at her. But they were completely alone, and the night remained silent.

"You're lucky there was just a massacre. We'd be dead if someone had seen you." Lydia whispered, though she wasn't really paying any attention to Arthur. Looking down the street, Arthur realised he was in fact surrounded by bodies. Lydia stopped just in front of one of the bodies, bending down and snatching away his hat and an armband. She turned and held them out to Arthur.

"Put these on." She ordered.

"You just stole those." Arthur said.

"Well, he wasn't using them." Lydia pointed out. "Here." She shoved the hat over Arthur's hair, tucking away the few strands that stuck out. She then handed the armband over. It was white fabric, though it had been stained with dirt and blood. In the center was a blue star. Arthur noticed Lydia was wearing a similar armband over her coat. Though he had absolutely no idea who the girl was, and was still unsure whether to trust her or not, Arthur slipped the armband over his coat, just as Lydia was wearing her's.

When Arthur looked up, Lydia was already at the end of the street. He didn't want to follow some random girl around some random place, he wanted to find Merlin. He needed to find Merlin. However, he was standing in a street filled with murdered bodies, and this girl did seem to know what she was doing.

_What the hell._

Without a second thought, Arthur took off down the street before Lydia could disappear into the darkness. He rounded the corner, finally catching up to her just as she ducked into an alleyway.

"So you're going to help me find Peter then?" Lydia asked, walking briskly down the narrow alley.

"Who's Peter?"

"My roommate." She said. "Is he not your best friend?"

"I don't know any Peters." Arthur answered.

"You sure? He never shuts up about you."

Before Arthur could respond, Lydia grabbed him by the collar and dragged him behind a wall.

"Will you stop doing th…" Arthur started to say, but was cut off when Lydia slapped him. He was going to say something more, but noticed Lydia staring intently at several figures standing near a wall. Two men, dressed in the same pale grey uniform, had stopped another young man in the street. They were both yelling something Arthur couldn't understand, but the anger in their voices translated perfectly. The third man was slowly backing up, hands in the air. He seemed younger than the other two, but his back was facing Arthur so he couldn't really tell.

"Is that Peter?" Arthur whispered. Lydia nodded slightly.

One of the men in grey pulled out the metal contraption Lydia had shown Arthur earlier, a gun.

"Does he need help?"

The second man in grey grabbed the young man's coat, tear it off him and throwing it to the ground.

"He's fine, as long as they don't find the package." Lydia explained softly.

"And if they do?"

The man with the gun kicked away the coat, revealing a small brown package lying in the mud. He bent down, slowly picking it up.

Lydia shot up from behind the wall. "They're going to kill him."

The young man, realising what was happening, whirled around, stumbling over his own feets as he tried to get away. And in that moment, Arthur could have sworn his heart stopped. He was staring into the face of none other than Merlin. Noticing Arthur behind the wall, Merlin froze, not even attempting to run. The man with the gun shoved him to the ground, bringing the gun to his forehead. Arthur didn't even realise what he was doing, he just snapped. Shoving aside Lydia, who had pulled out her own gun, Arthur surged forward in a blind rage. The next moment, he stood in a pool of blood, a knife clutched tightly in hand. Two corpses were lying at his feet. Merlin was still kneeling on the ground, looking up at Arthur but staring right through him. His eyes were empty and cold, his face gaunt and bloodied. He was thin, so thin he looked as if he was about to just shatter into a million un-repairable pieces. The sight of him, so small and broken, ripped Arthur's heart apart.

A soft roar sounded from the distance, and the street was suddenly flooded with light, coming from a strange carriage that was speeding towards them. Several shouts sounded through the street as Lydia grabbed Merlin, shoving him ahead of her as she ran. Arthur followed them into the darkness, away from the blinding lights and threatening shouts. Merling stumbled numbly ahead as Lydia continued to shove him forwards.

The first light of day had started to appear on the horizon by the time they practically fell into the building Merlin and Lydia called home, scrambling up the stairs and crashing down the narrow hallway Arthur had awoken in. Lydia threw open the door, pulling Merling in behind her and slamming the door behind the three of them. Lydia fell against the wall and slid to the floor, but Merlin stood completely still in the center of the room, not taking his eyes Arthur. He stared at him in confusion and disbelief, his whole body trembling in the dim, flickering light. He stepped forward slightly, reaching his arm out and gently placing his hand on Arthur's cheek, as if he didn't believe Arthur was really there at all. Something changed in Merlin's face, and choking back a sob he pulled Arthur into a tight embrace. He didn't breathe a word, just held Arthur and sobbed.


	2. Chapter 2

It was some time later that Arthur and Merlin sat in silence, side by side on the countertop. Morning was too close for sleep, they had concluded. Not that they'd be able to sleep after what had just happened. So they sat on the countertops, watching the sky, waiting for the sunrise through the cracked windows as Lydia tinkered with a mess of wires and various metal contraptions on the floor.

There was so much to be said, but Merlin didn't know where to start.

_Arthur is alive. Arthur is alive. _

He couldn't believe it. He was sure this all had to be some kind of cruel trick. He'd given up long ago on the hope that Arthur would ever return to him. How was it that Arthur sat beside him now?

"Where are we?" Arthur whispered, cutting through the silence.

"Warsaw." Merlin answered.

"Is that a kingdom?" Arthur asked.

Merlin laughed slightly. There was so much to explain. Arthur had missed so much.

"No. A city. The country… kingdom is called Poland."

Arthur nodded, looking intently out of the window onto the streets beyond.

"We should leave." He said. "Right away."

Arthur jumped down from the countertop, turning to Merlin expectantly.

"You'll need to prepare horses for us, of course. Is there a stable nearby? Are we far from Camelot? We'll have to return right away."

Merlin didn't answer.

"Well? Are you coming or not?"

"No." Merlin said softly.

"What do you mean no? I am the k…"

"We are not going to Camelot. Arthur, sit down." Merlin commanded.

"Excuse me?" Arthur demanded.

"Sit down. Please." Merlin whispered. His voice was soft and sounded close to breaking. The look in his eyes was just like before in the street, so hopeless and terrified. Merlin could see the anger in Arthur's face melt away, and he silently sat beside Merlin again. For a long time, Merlin didn't say anything. Finally, his choked out a quiet question.

"What do you remember?"

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked.

"The lake, after Camlann. What do you remember?"

"Well, I was injured." Arthur started to explain. "You took me there, but I passed out."

Arthur turned to face Merlin. "You left me there!" He said accusingly, but a grin started to appear on his face.

"You didn't pass out Arthur." Merlin explained. "You died."

"So I'm dead?" Arthur whispered.

"No. Not anymore."

"What are you talking about?" Arthur asked.

"There was a prophecy that you would return when Albion's need was greatest." Merlin said.

"So I died, but I'm alive again?" Arthur asked. Merlin nodded.

"We still need to get back to Camelot." Arthur exclaimed, jumping down from the countertop again.

"Arthur we can't…"

"No!" Arthur yelled, slamming his fist against the wall. "If Albion is in danger, I must return to Camelot! I can't abandon my people! Not now."

"There is no Camelot to return to!" Merlin screamed.

Arthur froze, then began to shake slightly. He turned back to Merlin, his voice low and threatening. "What do you mean?"

"You died in the 6th century." Merlin explained, unphased by Arthur.

"I know!" Arthur bellowed.

"It is the 20th century!"

Arthur didn't make a sound, just stared at Merlin without a hint of understanding, just rage.

"Today is April 21st, 1941." Merlin continued. "Camelot hasn't existed for centuries. Most people don't even believe it ever existed."

"Camelot is gone?" Arthur whispered.

"Yes. There were ruins, but they were destroyed a few days ago. There is nothing left."

"Everyone is gone." Arthur said softly, more to himself than anyone.

Merlin was silent for a long time, unsure of what to do or what to say. He'd grown accustomed to being alone, to losing everything he cared about. But this feeling was new to Arthur.

"Arthur." Merlin whispered. "There are some things you have to understand." Before Merlin could say another word, he was cut off by a noise from outside.

The same soft roar Arthur heard before drifted in through the cracked window. Merlin flinched, as if he'd been slapped, jumping away from the windowsill. Lydia was already on her feet, looking down on the street below in utter terror as several men in grey stepped out one of those strange metal carriages. Across the street, the light disappeared from the windows just as Merlin hit a switch, cutting the light in their apartment as well.

"You don't think…" Lydia whispered.

"How could they have known. There was no one to see us there." Merlin whispered back, but he didn't sound convinced.

"We killed two of their men! Of course they are going to find out." Lydia hissed. She sounded on the verge of tears. "Oh god, they are coming to our building."

Through the window, Arthur could see the men walk across the street, stopping in front of the building they were in, then disappearing through the front door.

"The papers!" Merlin whispered in alarm. Lydia slowly turned away from the window, her hands shaking slightly but her eyes now absent of any signs of fear. She rushed over to the bookcase, throwing her body against.

"Help me!"

Arthur ran over and began to pull the other end and between the two of them, the bookcase moved out of the way, revealing a jagged hole in the wall. Merlin frantically grabbed at the papers on the floor, the table and countertops, tearing pictures down from the wall, then handing them off to Lydia who dumped them into the hidden space. Loud footsteps echoed from the hallway. Shouts could be heard through the walls, and though Arthur couldn't understand, it seemed Merlin and Lydia could.

"They're checking for employment papers." Lydia whispered, a hint of relief in her voice. "Only checking for employment papers."

"Arthur hasn't got any." Merlin whispered.

Lydia said something under her breath that Arthur couldn't understand, but was fairly certain it was a curse.

"Get in the wall!" She said to Arthur. "Now!" She didn't wait for him to respond before grabbing him by the collar and shoving him into the small space between the wall.

"Just be quiet. No matter what happens, don't make a sound." Merlin said earnestly. Then he grabbed the bookcase, and with help from Lydia pulled it back to its original position, covering the hole in the wall. The last hints of light from the room disappeared, and Arthur was engulfed in silence. Only the sound of his breathing and the beating of his heart could be heard.

Muffled shouts, from the hallways, Arthur assumed, could be heard. There was a crash, and heavy footsteps filled the room, accompanied by more shouting. More crashes, more shouting. The footsteps were getting closer to the bookshelf until the shouts no longer sounded muffled through the thin wood. The bookshelf started to move, someone was trying to pull it down. Arthur held his breath, reaching to his belt to draw his sword, only to remember there was nothing there. He was defenseless.

Then Arthur could hear Merlin's voice, small and trembling, speaking some kind of gibberish. There was another crash and the sound of a body hitting the floor, followed by a shriek from Lydia.

Merlin.

For the second time that day, Arthur forgot everything except his anger. He only thought was of Merlin. He was going to tear the bookshelf down and kill every last one of those bastards.

"_Just be quiet. No matter what happens, don't make a sound."_

Arthur froze, Merlin's words echoing in his mind. _No matter what happens._

The shouting stopped suddenly, and the room grew quiet. The bookshelf moved, and Lydia's head appeared through the crack.

"Are you ok?" She whispered.

Arthur's heart felt like it was going to rip out of his chest, and he couldn't bring himself to take a breath.

"Merlin." He finally choked out.

"I'm fine."

The bookshelf was quickly pulled out of the way, and Merlin appeared beside Lydia. His nose was bleeding and his cheek cut open, but he was grinning.

"Oh my god. Merlin! What did they do to you?"

Merlin laughed, like Arthur was being ridiculous. "I'm fine. They just hit me. They like to do that."

"They could have killed you." Arthur whispered. He had no idea what was going on, he had no idea who these people were, but he was sure this was true.

"Nah." Merlin insisted. "They're more reluctant to kill people inside, it's harder to clean up the mess."

"What the hell is going on. What is this place? And those people? What the hell is going on?"

Merlin sighed, turning to Lydia and muttering something in that strange language Arthur didn't understand. She nodded.

"I'll be going to work then." She announced, then left the small apartment.

"What were you speaking?" Arthur asked.

"Polish. We are in Poland, so everyone speaks Polish." Merlin explained.

"And those men? It didn't sound like they were speaking Polish."

"No. They were speaking German. They are from Germany."

Arthur nodded, pretending to understand what Merlin was saying.

"Why are they killing so many people?"

"Because we are Jews." Merlin answered.

"I suppose you want to know what is happening." He said. Arthur nodded.

"Short answer, we are at war." Merlin explained.

"None of this makes any sense." Arthur sighed.

"I know. It's a long story. You should sit down."

By the time Merlin finished explaining everything, the sun had begun to set and the darkness had started to settle in again. Arthur could hardly believe he'd missed so much since his death. He could hardly believe he'd left Merlin for so long. Merlin had been through so much since the Battle of Camlann.

Merlin spent hours explaining what had happened in the past thousand years. He told of the empires that rose and fell, the conquests and violence. He told stories of witch trials, and endless petty wars, sometimes family conflicts, sometimes religious. He told stories of the epidemics, the plague that claimed 80 million lives, or the small pox that wiped out entire civilizations. He showed him modern maps, documenting an entire world Arthur knew nothing of. When Arthur was alive, the world to him was the tiny cluster of islands, The Britons, Albion, tucked away in the corner of a tiny continent.

Merlin explained the history of the Jews, centuries of persecution and genocides.

"It's my dark hair, that's why people kept thinking I was Jewish. It was easy to pretend, there aren't many records of Jewish families, not like other European families. For the longest time they didn't have last names, plus they kept getting murdered, or going into hiding, or fleeing from country to country. It was easy to pretend." Merlin had explained bitterly.

Then there had been the Great War, 25 years before. Half the world was involved, tearing each other apart, slaughtering millions. The results were devastating, and those involved were determined to never let anything like that ever happen again. Of course, this promise didn't even last two decades before some mad-man came to power in one of the losing kingdoms, determined to win back the glory (and land) the kingdom had lost in the Great War. His name was Adolf Hitler, Der Fuhrer of Germany, leader of the Nazi Party. Within a few years, he had built a massive army and had reclaimed nearly all the land lost. That's when he had turned his focus to the rest of the world. It had all started two years ago, when he invaded the kingdom they were in now, Poland, in 1939. By the end of 1940, he had taken most of the continent, and had eliminated most opposition. And now it was 1941, only one kingdom was still fighting, Albion (now called Great Britain), but at that point they had completely retreated within their own borders. No allies, no support, they were bombarded with some new weapon that Merlin called bombers, that came out of the sky by night, tore apart entire cities then burned the ruins to the ground.

"They're saying this is the worst war this world has ever faced." Merlin had said. "And we're losing it."

"And this place? These people?" Arthur asked. "This isn't a normal occupation."

"No. It's not." Merlin muttered. "It's called the Final Solution. All the men with guns, they are part of a branch of the Nazi Party called the S.S."

Merlin then explained the Shoah, or the Final Solution, as the Nazis called it. Der Fuehrer's hatred of Jews was no secret, he was determined eliminate them. That's where the Final Solution came in. It was his plan to exterminate every last Jew on the planet.

"It started with the Nuremberg Laws, which basically revoked all human rights for us. Because to the Nazis, we aren't human."

They weren't just in Warsaw, they were in the Warsaw Ghetto. A few months before, the Nazis had rounded up every Jew living in Warsaw and marched them to a tiny corner of the city, where they were forced to live. A few weeks later, a wall was built around the perimeter of this corner, and the Warsaw Ghetto was sealed from the outside world. Conditions inside the ghetto quickly deteriorated, it was worse than a siege. The ghetto was horribly over-crowded. Food rations were abysmal, doctors were slaughtered and medical supplies confiscated and destroyed. Epidemics were rampant, made worse by the widespread starvation. Then there was the Gestapo, the secret police that ran the ghetto. They spent more time murdering and kidnapping than doing anything else. They took what they wanted and killed when they pleased. There was massacre at least once a week. Half a million people were crammed in the ghetto, and thousands had already died, only to be replaced by more people forced to move from surrounding areas. Then there were the whispers of mysterious places in the middle of nowhere that people called the Camps. People were sent there by the thousands, locked in tiny rooms with poisonous air then burned in giant ovens.

"It seemed ridiculous when the rumors started but…"

"Do you think it's true then, what they say about the camps?" Arthur asked.

"I think so." Merlin whispered.

"This is really fucked up."

"Yeah. It is." Merlin agreed.

"Why are you still here? Why don't you leave? You have magic!"

At the mention of magic, Merlin looked away, focusing intently on his hands. He wouldn't meet Arthur's eyes.

"You do have magic, don't you?" Arthur asked.

"No." Merlin admitted quietly. "I lost it, about a century ago."

Arthur was silent, caught off guard. How do you respond to that?"

"There is almost no magic left in the world. The source of my power, the crystal cave, was destroyed in the Industrial Revolution. Nearly every source of magic was destroyed through either war or development. There is enough to keep me alive, but I can't do anything anymore."

"Oh, Merlin…"

"It's fine. It's been a long time. I'm ok."

Merlin was silent for a long time.

"What were you doing earlier?" Arthur asked quietly. "When the S.S. almost shot you?"

"Oh, that. I was smuggling." Merlin explained. "That's what I do. I'm a smuggler. Food mostly, like I said, rations are abysmal. Most of the food Lydia and I get is what I manage to steal, and even then we barely have enough for dinner. It's the only meal we eat anymore."

"And the papers in the wall? The pictures? What is all of that?"

"Oh, that's all Lydia's stuff. She's in the resistance." Merlin said. "Those papers contain the information the spies have gathered. Whatever branch of the resistance she's a member of, they decided she should store the information. They figured the Nazis would probably be less suspicious of a young woman."

"And those metal things she keeps building?"

"Weapons. I steal the materials, smuggle them in, and Lydia builds them. Bombs mostly. There is another guy who puts the guns together. Albion is the only kingdom left. No one is going to save us, and the Nazis fully intend to kill us all. Might as well go down fighting, right?"

Merlin sighed. "I'm going to die, Arthur. I've been waiting for this for so long. But now you are back!" His voice cracked. "I can't get myself out of this."

"Let me help you."

Merlin just shook his head.

**"****I don't think anyone can save me now."**


End file.
